Notes from the A.D. - Final Edition

And so it goes.

What started as an exciting and challenging venture in the fall of 1996, has now come to an end. Soon, I will be sending a Certificate of Dissolution to the California Secretary of State, and the Subterranean Theatre Company, Inc. will no longer officially exist. I don't really know what to say, but let me start with, "Thanks."

We made theatre for a full five years. I believe the final tally of shows that the STC produced, or worked in cooperation with, was fourteen. A few of them were world or west coast premieres, a couple Shakespeares, farce, a semi-musical and even a Greek tragedy. Many performances were free to the public, and a good number of them were critically lauded. I guess what I liked most about the productions was that, after every one that I can remember, there was at least one audience member that said they didn't like going to plays, but after seeing our play wanted to go see more.

We worked hard. Some of us were stretched to the limit at times, but in retrospect, that's the best way to see what you're made of. It also makes future challenges seem not so difficult. Our hard work didn't always pay-off with full houses, but it paid dividends in other ways. We brought people together. We created opportunities. We impressed people. We proved a lot to ourselves. We learned a lot about our art form. We learned a lot about business. We gained valuable experience. We made people happy. We had a good time. We had a lot of good times. It was fun. The STC lived a full life. It is with mixed emotion that I say thanks and adios.

Thanks. Adios.

Tom Sonnek, Artistic Director